Machine for treating shin or shank leather.



PATENTED 001-6, 1903.

l 'A, F. STOWE. MACHINE FOR-TREATING SHIN 0R SHANK LEATHER,

APPLICATION FILED 1mg, 13. 1902.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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n1, PMOTp-LKTHO UNITED STATES" iatented October 6, 1905 -PATENT OFFICE,

AARON FRANCIS s'rown, or wononsrnn, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR To A. F. s'rown MANUFACTURING coMP NY, or woncnsrna, MASSACHU- SE'ITS, A oonPoRArioN on MASSACHUSETTS.

MACHINE FOR TREATI s -im' OR SHANK LEATHIEQR.

sfECIEiIGA'lKQN formingpart of Letters Patent o, 740,709, dated October 6,1903; Application filed December 18. 19012, Serial No. 135.670. (No model.)

' The shank and shin. portions of hides which are tanned for sole-leather present an irregu- I5 lar, curled, and ruffled margin, having a hard, stiif, and outwardly-rounded area extending along the central part thereoflrendering the stock of such form and refractory nature that it cannot be worked on machines when put into use without great waste and much trouble and of such character that it is of little value and suitable only for inferior portions of boot and shoe worksuch as filling-pieces, under lifts for heels, and other small parts':

the curl and hardness of the stock making it difficult to cut with dies and frequently requiring a recutting to get it into properform." The object of my present invention is to provide a method of and means for treating or preparing such shank and shin stock and similar hard, curled, or refractory portions of leather, whereby the same may be straightened and rendered comparatively pliable andz' fit fonworkiug into boot and shoe stock of a 5 higher or better class than could be heretofore-donesuch as insoles, taps, counters,

top-lift heeling, drc.thereby making such leather more valuable and useful. in the arts and putting it into a condition to be conven- 40 iently and economically worked orsubjected to thedie-cuttin g and machine manipulations through which it subsequently-has to pass in"v the processes of boot and shoe manufacture. Another object is-to' provide in a machine 5 for the purpose specified an efficieut means for bringing the leather into a reverselycurved condition and simultaneously severing or rupturing the under fibers to a degree sufiicient to permit the refractory, rounded,

or undercurled portions to assume afiattened position, as more fully hereinafter explained.

scription 1 Another object is to provide,in combination with means for feeding and slitting the hard rounded portion of the shank or shin stock, means for directing and supporting 5 the irregular and ruffled border portions and preventing. the same from interference with the proper working of the mechanism while passing through the machine.

;-Mtnor objects and features of'my invention are disclosed-in the following detailed dethe particular subject matter claimed being definitely set forth in the sum mary; V

- I attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying three sheets of drawings, wherein- Figure '1' represents a vertical central section of a machine embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a verticalsectionnear the gears at the end of the roller-axles. Fig. 3 is a vertical section through the under-guard'plates. Fig. 4 represents a horizontal or plan view of the machine with the top of the frame-j aws shown in section and the adjusting -shaft omitted. Fig. 5 is' a horizontal section showing the partsunderneaththe feed-rolls. Fig.

dis a horizontal section showing the cutterroll.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary detail view representing the front of the bed-roll and cutter- 1 011 with the pressure-bars and guard in section. Fig. 8 is a longitudinal vertical section showing the arrangement of the presser- Troll B, front and rear feed-rollsF and E, having roughened or fluted surfaces, a cutterroll composed of a series of annular diskcutter's C, the edges of which run adjacent to but not in contact with said bed-roll, and'a 5 series of presser-bars D, adapted for directing the leather and for holding it against the bed-roll surface while acted upon by the cut-.

ters.

- The above named rolls are preferably roe formed of about two inches diameter and aboutfour inches, more or less,.in length and provided with long axles f, b, and e of less diameter than the rolls, which axles extend to the right and left for a suflicient distance to accommodate the width of any piece of stock liable to be found among the shin and shank pieces to be treated. The cutterroll and bed-roll are respectively journaled in bearing-boxes H and'G, mounted in the housing-jaws a of the upright end frames A. The bed-roll above the cutter-roll and said bearing-boxes are made adjustable up and down in the jaw-spaces, the lower boxes H by a screw-stud and nuts, as at h, for seating said lower boxes at proper relative position, while the upper boxes G are adjustable by means of the screws I, mounted in the jaw-caps a and threaded into the tops of said upper boxes, for giving the temporary adjustment of the bed-roll for varying thicknesses of leather, as desired.

For operating the adjusting-screws of both boxes G in unison there may be employed a top shaft 1, turning in bearings on the jawcaps and connected with the screws I by beveled gears 'i, said shaft having a handwheel 1 whereby the journal-boxes can be simultaneously adjusted up or down by rotation of the shaft in well-known manner.

Between the boxes H and G there is astud or detent 4, that serves as a stop to prevent the bed-roll from being moved into contact with the edges of the cutter-blades. The bed-roll and feed-rolls are-connected to rotate in unison by intermeshing gears B F and E fixed on their respective axles near the journal-bearings. Said gears may in practice be covered and protected by a suitable guard or housing.

The frame of the machine preferably consists of the upright end portions A, rigidly united at the proper height by breast-gi'rths or horizontal supporting members A, that extend across in front and rear of the cuttershaft 0. Said girths are best made with a longitudinal groove in their upper side, as indi cated, for aid in the support and connection of parts that are mounted thereon.

The feed-roll axlesf and e are respectively journaled in movable bearings mounted in a manner to afford a resilient yielding action of the feed-roll from and toward the bed-roll. For this purpose bearing-brackets J are fixed on the girths' or main frame, and the journal bearings J are arranged to slide in said brackets, and suitable resistancesprings K are combined therewith, which tend to press the feed-rolls toward the bedroll at the front and rear thereof.

The circular blades or cutters O are mounted as a gang upon their shaft 0 about onefourth of an inch, more of less, apart and are held in place by intermediate rings and tubes arranged on an axial shaft and tightened by screw-nuts threaded t, thereon adjacent to the journals. Said rings, tubes, and nuts, together with the axial portion, when assembled for use constitute the cutter-shaft 0.

The resser-bars D are arranged in a series and extend from front to rear beneath the feed-rolls and bed-rolls,respectively,passing between and adjacent to the several cut ter-blades. The top edges of said presserbars are each formed with projections 2 and 3, (see Fig. 10,) that stand adjacent to the feed-roll faces and serve to deflect or bend the leather and to direct it around the bedroll, while that portion of the bar between the points 2 and 3 is formed as at 5 or of suitable shape to press the leather against the bed-roll surface at the position opposite the cutters. (See Fig. 9.) The presser-bars are upheld by a yielding support device, which in the present instance consists of a pair of endwise-movable standards D, fitted in openings in the girth A and resting upon upweirdly-expanding springs L. From the top of one standard to the other there extends a cross bar or rod (1, upon which the series of presser-bars D are mounted, as best shown in Figs. 8 and 9. The presser-bars are preferably arranged to have limited free lateral play upon the cross-bar (1, thereby obviating any tendency to cramp or bind on the cutters that run between them.

Screws S, threaded in the frame and engaging against the heads of the standards D,

serve to limit theupward action of the springs L and for regulatingthe closeness of approach of the bars D to the bed-roll.

M M indicate under guards arranged beneath the roll-axles and which serve for directing the irregular ruffled edges of the leather that extend beyond the ends of the bed and feed rolls proper and for preventing such portions of the leather from interfering with the girths and under mechanism as the stock is run through the machine. Said guards are formed in front and rear sections, each provided with a foot that seats in the groove on the respective girth A, where it is movably retained by a screw m, that passes through a slot in the foot, (see Figs. 5 and 8,) the guard-sections being permitted a limited back-and-forth movement and a slight lateral swinging action. Springs n are arranged in holes formed in the foot at either side of the screw m to press against the wall of the groove, thereby serving to keep the guardsection normally in proper central position. The tops of the guards are provided with ribs 8, that project upward adjacent to the feedroll axles for preventing the edges of the leather from passing under said axles. That part of the guard beneath the bed-roll axle is invertedly arched (see Fig. 3) and the front section thereof provided with a plate-flange 9, that laps over the edge of the rear section, for conducting the leather across the intervening space, the irregular marginal portions of the leather passing into and from between the axles in the direction indicated by arrows on Fig. 3, while the central part of the stock passes between the rolls, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 9.

ICC

IIS

P indicates the operating-shaft, supported to turn in suitable hearings on the .rear part of the frame and provided with a pulley P or other desiredmeans for applying motive power thereto. The cutters O are rotated by means of a gear fixed on the end of the cutter'shaft c and meshing with a pinion C fixed on the operatingshaft, While the bedroll is rotated by means of a gear B, fixed on the end of its axle and meshingwith an intermediate gear 0, that in turn meshes with a pinion B fixed on said operating-shaft. The rolls and cutters when in operation rotate in the respective directions indicated in Fig. 9. v

The operation of this invention is as follows: The mechanism being in motion, the hard curled portion of the shank or shin piece is inserted endwise, rounding side upmost, between the feed-roll F and bed-roll B and is drawn in by the rotative action of said rolls. The advancing leather is directed under the bed-roll B and up between the bedroll and rear feed roll E by means of the presser-bars D and points thereon. The advancing stock is thus caused to assume a laterally-straight and longitudinally-reversed curvature by betating cutters C, forming therein a series of. slits or surface grooves at narrow intervals.

apart as the stock is advanced through the rolls, said grooves running longitudinally of the hard shin area, thus destroying or overcoming the refractory character or tendency of the shin-1eather to curl up and rendering it comparatively straight and pliable and in suitable condition for convenient working,

thereby increasing the value and utility of such leather to about twice its original value,

more or less. As the hard central boss of the shin or shank pieces passes through the rolls the softer ruflled marginal portions are allowed to draw through the spaces between the roll-axles, supported and directed by the under guides, which yield one Way or the other to accommodate irregularities that may occur as the stock advances.

The slits or grooves in the under side of the leather are not made of sufficient depth to injure the valuable portion of the material, and the slitted surface may be subsequently split cit, since the straightening-out process ef-- fected by the action of this improved mechanism will enable the leather to lie flat and to be run through the ordinary leather-splitting machines Without probability of destroying it by unequal splitting.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A machine for the purpose specified,

comprising means for reversely curving the leather and for feeding forward or advancing the same in such curved relation, in combination with a gang of blades or cutters arranged for rotatively acting against the convex surface of the curved leather for severing or rupturing the outer fibers while under strain of the curvature, without cuttingjunction therewith for curving and advancing the leather about said bed-roll, a cutterroll comprising a series of blades or cutters disposed opposite said bed-roll, yielding devices .for guiding and pressing the leather against said bed-roll, and means for rotating .the several rolls and cutters.

4. A machine for treating shin and shank leather, comprising a bed-roll, two feed-rolls respectively acting in conjunction therewith for curving and advancing the leather about said bed-roll, a series of rotating disk cutters ad jacently supported on a shaft opposite said bed-roll, a series of presser-bars intermediate to said cutters, springs supporting said resser-bars, means for regulating the distance between the cutter and bed rolls, and means for rotating the series of rolls and cut ter-shaft.

5. In a machine for treating shin and shank leather, in combination, a bed-r011, feed-rolls arranged before and after said bed-roll, said rolls provided with extended axles, intermeshing gears connecting the feed-roll and bed-roll axles, laterally-yielding bearings for the feed-roll journals, springs and springsnpporters therefor, a cutter-shaft carrying a gang of circular cutters opposite said bedroll, yielding presser-bars between said outters, springsupports for said presser-bars, and deflecting-guards beneath the roll-axles, for the purpose set forth.

6. In a machine for treating shin and shank leather, the combination, with the cutters, cutter-shaft, bed-roll and'feed-rolls for curving and advancing the curled central part of the leather, said rolls provided with extended axles of less diameter than the rolls; of the under guards provided with upwardly-inclined ribs adjacent to the feed-roll axles for deflecting or directing the irregularmarginal portions, said guards mounted upon the frame in a manner to have resilient transverse yielding action, substantially as set forth.

7. In a machine of the character described, the combination, with the bed-roll, feed-rolls and cutter-roll having extended axles, and the frame-girths provided with a groove; of an under-guard member having a foot movably seated within said groove, a retaining stud or screw engaging a slot in said foot, and springs horizontally arranged at either side of the screw and pressing against the foot and outer wall of the groove, for the purpose set forth.

8. In a machine for the purpose specified, the combination, with the bed-roll, feed-rolls at front and rear of said bed-roll, and the cutter-roll comprising a gang of circular cutter-blades; a series of presser-bars severally provided with lugs or points that project up- -ward adjacent to the feed-roll faces, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

9. In a machine for the purpose specified, in combination, with the gang of circular rotatable cutters, the bed-roll and feed-rolls; the series of presser-bars severally disposed beneath said bed-roll and feed-rolls and between the cutters, cross-rods carrying the ends'ef said presser-bars, supporting-standards movably fitted in guide-openings in the breast-girth and sustaining the respective ends'of said cross-rods, lifting-springs for elevating said standards and presser-bars, and adjustable stops or screws that limit the upward movement thereof, substantially as set forth.

10. In a machine for the purpose specified, the combination, of the frame provided with housing-jaws, the cutter-shaft mounted in bearing-boxes supported in said jaws, a narrow-spaced series of circular cutters on said shaft, the bed-roll mounted in bearings adjustably supported in said jaws, adjustingscrews j ournaled in the jaw-caps and threaded into said bearings, means for simultaneously operating said screws, and a stop device limiting the approach of said bed-roll bearings in l sun orted resser bars extendin c y across the space beneath said bed-roll and feed-rolls between the circular cutters, substantially as set forth.

Witness my hand this 16th day of December, 1902.

AARON FRANCIS STOWE.

Witnesses:

CHAS. H. BURLEIGH, WALDO E. BUCK. 

